


Butterflies and Other Temporary Things

by Drowsy_Salamander



Series: Nouns and Other Adjectives [1]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angel!Beelzebub, Beelzebub is lord of the flies and I choose to believe that includes butterFLIES, Fallen Angel, Gabriel can't handle emotions, Other, Pre-Fall, They have four heads, cheribum are the stuff of nightmares if you google them, why
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 22:08:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19876855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drowsy_Salamander/pseuds/Drowsy_Salamander
Summary: In the beginning, Gabriel loved. He loved the Almighty with all his being, happy to eternally devote himself to doing Her biding. He loved his fellow angels and marvelled at their unity, delighted in hearing the choirs sing and flocks soar overhead. He even loved the Earth and all the creatures on it even though he did not understand it and loved it more as an extension of Her creation than any property of the Earth. Gabriel loved all beings equally, save the Almighty, as he should. So, the cheribum troubled him.





	Butterflies and Other Temporary Things

**Author's Note:**

> Must admit it feels very weird writing this. Like this is only one step away from Bible fanfiction and tbh I'm not okay with that.  
> Edit; just fixing some misgendering

In the beginning, Gabriel loved. He loved the Almighty with all his being, happy to eternally devote himself to doing Her biding. He loved his fellow angels and marvelled at their unity, delighted in hearing the choirs sing and flocks soar overhead. He even loved the Earth and all the creatures on it even though he did not understand it and loved it more as an extension of Her creation than any property of the Earth. Gabriel loved all beings equally, save the Almighty, as he should. So, the cheribum troubled him. 

They weren’t a particularly important angel, high ranking as all cheribum were but nothing exceptional. They were beautiful as all angels were beautiful but it was a fierce kind of beauty. They had gold all across their face and long, dark hair. They had the clearest blue eyes Gabriel had ever seen and they blazed. They were fiery and strong with four golden wings covered in red eyes. And Gabriel loved them more than other angels. At first, he thought he loved them like he loved his brothers and sisters, the other Archangels but he realised it was different. He always thought they looked stunning. [1]

They were tasked with guarding a temple, it was empty at the moment but there would be something in the temple for guarding. They carried a sword and harp and often while they guarded, they sang. That was what first drew Gabriel to them. Their voice was as clear as water and as bright as the stars. Gabriel loved perching in the surrounding clouds and listening to them sing, admiring them from afar until the time that one of their many eyes spotted him. 

‘I can see you, Archangel,’ they said as they continued practicing their harp, almost like Gabriel was second to it in importance. Everyone payed Gabriel their whole attention. This was something new to him.

‘It is my duty to look over all angels, you know, ensure top performance,’ he smiled at them condescendingly expecting them to become abashed instead they just raised an eyebrow.

‘And am I giving my “top performance”?’ they said dryly.

Gabriel couldn’t help but answer honestly, those piercing eyes commanded him to. ‘Yes, your singing is magnificent.’

They hadn’t seemed to expect that and looked up at him for the first time, abandoning their harp. ‘I…. sir, thank you...’ they seemed taken aback, surprised at the compliment and Gabriel couldn’t understand why. Surely, he was not the first to give this beautiful creature their well-deserved praise?

‘Please, tell me your name?’ Gabriel asked them. He had never been able to learn it before and he wanted it, just as he wanted them.

‘Bellalris,’ they said and gave the tiniest of smiles and Gabriel became light.[2] 

He brought them flowers. [3] He took them surreptitiously from the Garden at night while the guarding angels were distracted and if they saw him, he’d give them a brisk, professional nod to stop them from questioning just what he was doing. Aziraphale tended to wave at him whenever they made eye contact. He was a bit of an odd one.

Gabriel would present them the flowers with the roots still growing around his hand, he couldn’t just kill one of God’s holy creations, now could he? This act seemed to amuse Bellalris. The edges of their mouth would twitch upwards when they saw Gabriel’s various offerings. They truly did seem to like the flowers even if they could only enjoy them for a few hours at a time before Gabriel had to return them to the garden.

One white lily he brought them had a cocoon on it. Gabriel didn’t notice, he didn’t really understand all these knew earthen creatures with their short lives and needs. He’d get the hang of it eventually. He presented the flower to Bellalris and they gave him their slight smile. They took the flower and examined it with a detailed eye.  
‘What’s this?’ they asked when they found the cocoon.

‘What? Let me see.’ Gabriel commanded, taking the flower in his hand. His fingers brushed theirs and Gabriel could feel himself burning. He was surprised to see just a hint of a blush on the visible skin of Bellalris’ face. ‘I am not entirely sure what it is, but I am sure that it is just as perfect as all of Her other creations,’

‘I think it’s alive, not like a plant though. It’s some animal.’ Bellalris mused ‘It’s a bit strange, don’t you think?’

‘No? I don’t think.’ Gabriel said, surprised at Bellalris’ thoughts. All of God’s creatures were perfectly perfect. 

Bellalris laughed. ‘Gabriel you never think through what you say. It’s hilarious.’ There was a part of Gabriel that was insulted by their comment but mostly he was in awe of their laughter. It was clear and seemed to bubble up out of them. ‘But sometimes I wonder about just what Her plan is—’ 

‘I love your laugh.’ Gabriel blurted out suddenly then deciding he was already going down this path he might as well continue, ploughed on, ‘and I love your smile. You should smile more really,’ (He missed Bellalris’ scowl at these words.) ‘and—’ And I love you. He didn’t know how they’d react to that and he didn’t want to risk it. He’d realised that he loved her differently long ago but they kept all their feelings close to their chest and Gabriel just didn’t know how they felt towards him. Thankfully, they took his sudden silence as a plea for his own compliments rather than a cut off declaration.

‘I like… your eyes,’ they said hesitantly. This was unknown territory to both of them.  
‘Really?’ Gabriel took a certain amount of pride in his eyes. [4]

‘They’re nice.’ They said, gesturing vaguely with their harp. 

‘Thank you,’ he didn’t get compliments, not that he needed or even wanted compliments, he was just an angel doing his job to he best of his ability just like everyone else and he didn’t need praise. Not at all. Still though, it was nice to hear.

They sat in companionable silence until a small rustling noise broke the peace. Gabriel and Bellalris stared at each other before looking down at the lily and the fluttering cocoon. A wing, unlike any they’d every seen burst free followed by a strange creature. A butterfly [5] soared out of the cocoon and hung in the air for a second before flying over to Bellalris. They raised a hand and it landed on their nose. They stared at it in utter bewilderment and adoration, going cross-eyed. For the first time, Gabriel thought that they looked cute. They’d always been beautiful but in an angelic, fearsome way. He’d never seen them look so innocent and, honestly, adorable.

And that was when Gabriel realised just how much he loved them. He loved them more than the Earth and all the other angels.  
He loved Bellalris more than God. 

He stood as though struck by lightning. He was chilled to his very core by this realisation. He couldn’t love anything more than Her. He just couldn’t. What was next? Would he start thinking he knew better than Her? Start questioning Her? Join the other angels who have Questions?

‘Gabe?’ Bellalris asked, confused by Gabriel’s sudden movement.

‘I-I have to go,’ He turned away from them. He missed the rather hurt look on their face. He flew away.

He busied himself with work. He’d been quite negligent in his duties. He returned to supervising the Powers running through their battle drills and to watching choirs practice their singing. He listened to God and delivered Her messages faithfully even to those new creations of Hers, humans. He didn’t understand humans. They seemed to be like angels but without wings and without any knowledge. ‘They don’t even wear clothes.’ Gabriel thought derisively.  
He wasn’t the only one having thoughts like that but Gabriel set out to keep an eye on them. Doubting angels. Angels with Questions.[6] Gabriel cracked down hard on any angels he caught doubting, sending them off to Michael who was more than ready to do whatever was necessary to stop the Questions from spreading. Most alarming of all was the discovery that Morningstar was amongst the group. [7] The idea that the most perfect of their siblings could Question caused panic among the Archangels and an attempted intervention.

Morningstar nodded and smiled his signature smile [8] and just pointed out that he wanted the Almighty to clarify one or two things. Even as a fierce argument erupted amongst the angels who had gathered, Gabriel avoided looking at Bellalris among the crowd. 

He continued to avoid them. But when he had to fly over their temple he stared straight ahead. If he’d looked down, he would’ve seen the butterfly circling their head as they fiddled with their sword. If he’d kept a closer eye on them or even visited at all, he would’ve learnt how they went to talk to Morningstar, took their Questions to him and left more radical than when they’d began the conversation.

But he didn’t. Because he didn’t want to know. 

It all culminated in Morningstar’s rebellion and casting out. Gabriel watched as his brother was forced through the ground they were standing on and though he flapped his wings, was powerless to prevent his dissent. Morningstar burned like his namesake as he Fell. A ball of fire and anger. For a second, Gabriel thought that, that was it. The end of the Questioning.

Until he saw other angels. Some were forced like Morningstar while other willingly jumped in the holes already created. Still others fell through the holes that the other Falling angels had left behind. Gabriel made horrible eye contact with a gold-eyed angel as he slipped through the hole left where his associates had been. The angel gave a great yelp as he fell and his long, red hair fanned out behind him like a whip. 

Gabriel didn’t actually know for sure that Bellalris had Fallen until he was God gave him a job. It was after the Fall of all the angels, now demons, into Hell and after one of these demons had tempted mankind, those fools, and after learning about the future Armageddon. Gabriel, on Her instructions, went to The Garden and found the apple core [9]. Dutifully he brought it up to heaven to the temple Bellalris had guarded. Gabriel had avoided venturing here, the longer he spent away from it, the longer he could believe Bellalris was still here. Still unFallen.

The temple was empty.

Gabriel placed the apple core on the pedestal inside and found a harp tucked behind it. A dead butterfly lay on it.  
It felt like it had been left for him. A farewell. For the first time Gabriel realised that the butterfly was purple. He wished they hadn’t Fallen and he cursed Morningstar (Satan) and Hell and even God, Herself. But mostly he cursed himself and Bellalris for their weakness. He told himself that in the coming fight he would give them a quick death, it was what they deserved.  
Deep down, he knew he was too weak to do so.

He always had been.

[1] Meaning both stunning as in beautiful but also stunning as in to stun someone, like, for example, hitting the person who’d annoyed them across the head very hard.  
[2] Metaphorically of course. While angels can literally become light, to do in the middle of a conversation is tantamount to running out a window to escape and is considered rather rude.  
[3] Centuries later when humans started presenting flowers to their significant others, Gabriel would claim it was his invention and take credit for the act. Taking credit for other people’s work was not limited to Crowley or, for that matter, Hell.  
[4] Not too much pride of course, that wouldn’t be angelic after all.  
[5] The beta version of a butterfly from which moths, skippers and humming birds would also be developed. It’s a little know fact that hummingbirds are actually insects just pretending to be birds. It’s one of God’s many jokes that have gone way over humanity’s head.  
[6] the capital Q was entirely needed for such huge Questions. Trying to force those Questions to have a lowercase q may have caused the speaker to spontaneously combust.  
[7] In fact he was the ringleader of these angels and the cause of many of their doubts but Gabriel was excellent at believing what he wanted to be real.  
[8] A smile Gabriel imitated without even realising.  
[9] There were actually quite a few apple cores. It wasn’t as though they only ate one apple. Once you open the box of chocolates you may as well eat them all.

**Author's Note:**

> I am very bad at both starting and ending fics so whoops. I'm thinking of doing a sequel about Bee's fall and how they became the Prince of hell and meeting Gabriel in the modern day. Could be fun?  
> But mostly I love the idea that Bee and Gabe dated before they fell and then Gabriel just never moved on from it and is still totally hung up over them. Meanwhile Beelzebub is like married to Dagon and during the airfield scene there's just like a lot of really awkward tension until Bee snaps and is like 'Gabriel we date for like half a decade, six thousand years ago. MOVE ONE' and everyone else there is like 'wtf is going on? What about the apocalypse?' I dunno. I think that'd be really funny.  
> Oh yeah and in case I wasn't clear, the angel Gabriel sees slip down is Crowley I just didn't want to make too much of a deal out of it.


End file.
